Collapsible shipping-crate.



T. 0. SCOTT & G. W. STYER.

GOLLAPSIBLE' SHIPPING CRATE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 4, 1908.

Patented Mar. 16, 1909.

- THOMAS C. Scar-r nuqmi R E Y. T 5 W M adapted,

States of locked position.

PATENT onrlon.

metres 0. seo'r'r, AND GEORGE w. STYER, or rFALoAI-Ew YORK.

cameraman SHIPPING-CRATE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 16, 1909,

vApplication filed. March 4, 196d. Serial No. 419,179.

' '1 0 all whom/it may concern.

Beit known that we, THOMAS O Soo'rT and GEORGE W. Srrnn, citizens of the United America, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful "Improvemerits in Collapsible Shipping- Crates, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates in general to an improvement in collapsible or knockdown pac-kmg crates and specifically to one after the original contents thereof removed, to be'folded in compact form and returnedto the shippingpoi-ntin collapsed conditionfor repacking and shipping, and to one provided withmea-ns for securely holding in desired relation the several sections of the crate when filled and in shipment.

The main object of the invention is to rovide a crate of the kind described 1w iich shall comprise means for effectively locking has been the contiguous edges thereof in rigid operative relation to withstand the customary rough handling in shipment, said means being simple in construction and operation and, when performing its function lying practically within the plane of the surface of the crate.

Another object is to so proportion and form the several cooperating parts of the crate that when it is in collapsed form they shall lie closely contiguous and compact and eliminate as far as practicable liability of injury to the crate when being shipped in such form.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective of our improved crate, one end thereof being shown in dotted lines'in partially folded position, Fig. 2 is a broken ierspective illustrating the locking means, tv 1e normally contiguous edges of the crate being shown in un- Fig. 3 is a broken perspective showing the locking means in operative position, and Fig. 4 is a front view of the crate in collapsed condition.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, 1 and 2 denote the two duplicate ends of the crate, 3.

and 4 the back and front and and 6 the bottom and lid thereof respectively. The

ends and the front and back are pivotally connected to the, bottom through the me-' dium of hinge connections 7 at the upper edge of an upwardly-extending flange 8 the full wid th thereof.

formed on the four sides 0: said bot-tom integraltherewith, that portion of said flange extending along the front and back edge of the bottom'being of greater wid h than that portion extending along the side edges thereof, for a purpose to be hereinafter eX plained.

Q Formed integral with ends 1 and 2, on their front and back edges and extending t-lie entire length thereof, are ontwardlyextending locking flanges 9 adapted to engage and fit within inwardly-extendingflanges 10 formed on the ends of the bee and front sectons of the crateand extending Flanges 9 are formed with notches 11, designed, when flanges 9 and 101 are in operative engagement, to aline with notches 12 formed in the edges of the front andbac-k section.

Passing through overturned portions of the end sections forming the beads of the topsv thereof and adapted for partial rotation therein, are loeking rods 13 bent, at their point of egress from said overturned portion, for ashort distance of their length in a lateral direction and then parallel relation to the body portion of the rod form lugs 14, preferably of resilient materlal and designed to besprung into the alined notcheswhen performing their function.

The lid 6, which as shown in Fig. 1 .is hinged at 15 to the back'of the crate, is provided with a downwardly-disposed flange '16 adapted, when said lid is closed'upon; the locked sides of the crate to snugly embrace and fit the top ed e.thereof,said flange being of sufficient widt to cover, when in closed position on the locked box sides, the operatively-positioned locking rods 13 and prevent accidental displacement thereof, the usual hasp being, provided as supplementary securing means if desired.

"In the event that it isdesirable to inspect thecontents of the crate without openingthe same, one or more sides may be provided with an inspection opening, covered with any suitable transparent material 17 while handles 18 maybe added if desired.

In assembling the crate for 'fill1ng, the ends, front and'back are swung to upright position, flanges 9 passed into flanges '10 and the locking rods rotated downwardly until ,lugs 14 can be sprung into alined notches'll and 12, the resilient quality of said rods effect ively retaining them in said notches until manually released and effectually preventing assembling the crate at inop ortune times in handling the crate, being t us further provided against.

In arranging the crate for shipping in collapsed form, lugs 14 are sprung out of engagement with notches 11 and 12, either end 1 or 2 folded down upon the bottom, the other end folded uponthe first end and the front folded upon the latter, the flange connecting said front being of such height as to snugly accommodate below its top edge the endsand front of the crate when foldedas described. The back is then folded forward upon the folded front and the lid folded back upon the back 3.

.The above details embody the preferred form of our invention but we do not wish to be limited thereto and contemplate employing any modifications thereof that may fall within the scope of our invention, and especially of using any material suitable for constructing the crate. v

From the foregoing it will be readily seen that we have provided a crate which, due to the construction and relation of the several parts, is as strong and durable as though ormed with permanent joints, which can be readily and conveniently assembled in crate form and which is capable of being quickly folded into small, compact form for return shi ment.

aving thus described the is claimed as new, is:-

1. A collapsible box including acover, side and end walls, the end walls being formed" with outwardly projecting edge flanges, the side walls being formed with edge flanges of U-shape to receive the edge flanges of the end walls, and catches carried by the end walls to engage the connected flanges, the cover fitting the upper ends of the side and end walls and locking the catches against disengagement.

2. A collapsible box including. a cover, side and end walls, the end walls being formed with outwardly projecting edge flanges, the side walls being formed with edge flanges of U-shape to receive the edge invention what flanges of the end. walls, the flanges of the side and end walls being formed with registering notches, and'catches carried by the end walls to engage in said notches, the; cover fitting the upper ends of the side and 5 end walls and locking the catches against disengagement.

3. A collapsible box including interlocking side and end walls and locking rods r0- tatably carried b and extending throughout the width of the end walls, said rods projecting beyond the side ed es of the end walls and formed to provi e catches, the

side and end walls being formed with notches adapted to register when said parts are interlocked. to receive the catches, whereby both side walls are secured to the particular eni wall by the operation of a single locking ro I 4. A collapsible box including side and end walls, the end edges of the side walls being formed in return bends to provide housings, the side edges of the end walls being formed with outwardly-extending flanges adapted to fit-within the housings of the side walls when the parts are in box-forming positions, each housing and'co'bperatin'g flange being formed with notches adapted to register, and a single locking rod having end catches adapted to engage the registering notches between one end vwalland both side walls in a single movement of the rod. i

5. A collapsible crate including side and end walls, the end edges of the side walls being formed in return bands to provide housings, the side edges of the end walls being formed with outwardly-extending flanges adapted to fit within the housings of the side walls when the parts are in box-forming positions, each housing and cooperating flange being formed with notches adapted to register, the housings of the side walls and the flanges of the end walls projecting outwardly beyond the end walls, locking rods mounted in the end walls, catches carried by the locking rods and adapted to engage the registering notches, said catches bearing against the inner sides of the housings when in locking position, whereby said housings protect the catches against accidental displacement.

6. A. collapsible box including side and end walls, the end walls being formed with outwardly projecting edge flanges, the side walls being formed with edge flanges of U- sha e to receive the edge flanges of the end waLs, the flanges of the side and. end walls being. formed with registering notches, rods revolubly mountedin the end walls and terminally formed to provide catches to engage the notches in the flanges.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

1 THOMAS O. SCOTT.

" GEORGE W. STYER.

' VVitnesscsr' BERT P. JONHSON, A. E. PEcK. 

